Cornelius t



(NoModel.) C..T.. GANDY.

FIFTH WHEEL PLATE.

NQ. 281,357. Patented July 17, 1883.

HUHII WITNESSES: y A INvEEToE. 2M MW @W n www ATTORNEYS N. PETERS UNITEDSTATI-3s;

. PATENT OFFICE.

CORNELIUS T. GANDY, OF.y BRIDGETON, NEW JERSEY.

FIFTH-WHEEL PLATE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 281,357, dated July 17,1883.

u Application filed February 16, 1883. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CoRNELIUsT. GANDY, of Bridgeton, in the county ofCumberland and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Plates for Fifth-Wheels and I do hereby declare that thefollowing is a full, clear, 'and exact description of the invention,which will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains tomake and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings,which form apart of this specification, and in whieh- Figure I is aperspective view of my improved ifth-wheel plates. Fig. 2 is avertitical section through the same. top view of the lower plate, andFig. 4- is abottom view of thev upper plate, separated from each other.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all thefigures.

My invention has relation to that class of fifth-wheel platesin whichboth the plates have a number of concentric and corresponding annularprojections and grooves fitting into each other; and it consists in theimproved construction and combination of parts of two plates of thisclass, in which the bearing-surfaces are conical or beveled, for thepurpose of taking up wear, as hereinafter more fully described andclaimed.

In the accompanying drawings, the letter A indicates the lower plate,which is fastened upon the swiveled front portion of the running-gear,and B the upper plate, which is fastened to the rigid portion of thewagon, both plates having bolt-holes for the introduction of fasteningbolts or screws. l The lower plate, A, has a central aperture, C, fromthe sides of which projects a conical hollow sleeve, D, through whichthe king-bolt passes. A low annular projection, E, surrounds the base ofthis sleeve, forming a receptacle for the oil used in lubricatingthe'king-bolt and the bearing-surfaces of the two plates, the oilpassing out through the perforations e in the annular rim as it is used.

The front rim of the lower plate is provided with an upward and inwardbent lip, F, the inner surfaces of which form circular segments, and theinward-bent edge G of which is beveled inward and downward. A similarly-Fig. 3 is a slides upon a rearward-projecting arm, J, of

plate A, and is fastened adjustably upon the same by means of set-screwsK,passing through a longitudinal slot in the base-plate I intoscrew-threaded holes in arm J, so that the plate and its lip may beadjusted closer to or farther off from the center of the plate A.

rlhe upper plate, B, has a central aperture, M, the edges of which forma downward-projecting hollow conical sleeve or collar, N, which fitsover the upper portion of sleeve D, and by the shape of the two sleevesthey will always wear to a seat, thus insuring a perfect fit of the twoplates upon each other.

An annular box or downward-proj ecting rim, O, projecting from the underside of plate B, incloses the conical sleeves, preventing access of dirtor sand, and bears with its lower edge upon plate A, immediately around-the annular rim E; and two segmental lips, P, project from the loweredge of box O-one forward and one rearward-catching under lipsF and H,so that if, by accident, the king-bolt should break, the lips engagingeach other will prevent the swiveled portion of the runninggear fromseparating from the body of the vehicle. The outer surface of the boX Oforms a portion of an inverted cone, and the beveled lips F and H,bearing against it, will always wear so as to t tightly the inclinationsrunning in the same directions in the lips and the box.

It will also be seen that any wear in the lip H may be taken up byadjusting it closer to f the box, so that itwill catch sufficiently overthe lip -P to hold it in case of accident to the king-bolt. Y.

The lips F and H and P occupy each somewhat Y less than one-fourth'ofthe circumference of the circle they form segments of, so that'byturning the plates at right angles to each other they may be separated,the lips then being free of each other. These plates may also, with aslight change, be used in connecting double-trees to a wagon, orsingletrees to a wagon or double-tree, the one plate being fastened tothe stationary, and the other plate to the pivoted, part, with aboltpass- SCI IOO

sleeves upon the plates.

I am aware that iifth-wheel plates have been made in which both theplates have annular concentric and corresponding projections andgrooves, and I do not claim such construction broadly; and likewise thatfth-wheel plates have been constructed having a sliding lip upon the oneplate engaging an annular or segmental flange upon the other plate; but

Vhat I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of theUnited States, is-

The combination of the upper plate having the annular sleeve and box,provided with the diametrically-opposite segmental lips, the lower platehaving the annular sleeves and projections tting into the sleeve and boxof the upper plate, and provided with the rigid CORNELIUS T. GAND Y.

Witnesses:

AARON SMITH, Jr., HARRY H. SHARP.

